


the Light will wipe out all the scars

by martistarfighter



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Lives, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Fuck Canon, Happy Ending, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'm still crying, The Force Ships It, WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL, all the cheesy tropes we deserved, ben solo's BDE made me do this, fine gonna fix this myself, jj abrams go away, we are literally our only hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21902089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martistarfighter/pseuds/martistarfighter
Summary: “Ben.” She’s smiling and she’s beautiful, with her cheeks dusted with freckles and tears. Ben knows there’s not much life force left in him and he needs to tell her. She has to know that in a million different realities, in galaxies far away and in collapsing throne rooms, he’d always choose this. He’d always choose her.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 25
Kudos: 416
Collections: TROS Reylo Fix-it Fics





	the Light will wipe out all the scars

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo. I fucking hated TROS, I'm heartbroken and angry and this is my first attempt at a fix-it fic. I'd thank JJ Abrams for giving me such prompt motivation to write something, if only he deserved to be thanked for something.  
> But I guess we are our only hope and this is how I'm coping for now. I hope you can find at least a tiny bit of comfort in this! Reviews are much appreciated <3  
> Title comes from the amazing song 'Reincarnation' by Susanne Sundfør.

There are many things to be said about the Force. For as long as he’s known it, Ben has never been able to feel a resounding clarity in the Force’s flow. The safe anchor that Luke was always talking about. The unbridled power the Dark promised for years and years. Preaching and downcast looks, whispers and lies. They’re all wrapped around his mind and they sting. Just like the tendrils of doubt that have always kept focus out of his reach.

But in the end it all comes down to this. Holding the woman he loves in his arms and staring into her glassy eyes. Checking for a heartbeat that isn’t there. Cradling her head and taking the easiest decision of his wretched existence.

And there’s clarity at last. He’s going to save Rey. He loves her and he’s ready to give up his life, if that means saving her. He will.

 _Force, guide me. This is my will._

He takes a deep breath and puts a hand on her limp, incredibly light body. It hits him then that he’s never touched her, not like _this_ , but there’s no time. Not anymore.

 _Force, guide me. Mother, father, be with me._

He inhales and exhales. Once, twice. He feels energy flowing through him in with a pattern and intensity that he never imagined before. He channels it out and inside her. It takes a tremendous effort, and yet his broken and battered soul sighs in relief.

_Come back, Rey. Come back to me._

The Force hums and vibrates around them. He’s luminous. They both are, for Rey’s heart is beating again. She startles in his arms, like a frightened little creature, and then her hazel eyes are on him. His breath is weak and labored but he’s never been happier. He gets to hold her one last time.

“Ben.” She’s smiling and she’s beautiful, with her cheeks dusted with freckles and tears. Ben knows there’s not much life force left in him and he needs to tell her. She has to know that in a million different realities, in galaxies far away and in collapsing throne rooms, he’d always choose this. He’d always choose her.

As he parts his lips to speak she leans in, cups his cheek in and kisses him, swift and fierce. Everything else comes to a halt. All the agony dissolves into a sweet, bright joy. Kissing Rey feels like finding the way back home in the midst of a storm. Ben never thought he could have this. He chuckles and takes note of the way her thumb gently sweeps over his chin. He hopes the Force will be kind enough to let him remember this. Just this, it’s all he needs.

It’s getting harder and harder to keep himself upright. It’s time.

“Rey,” he murmurs in a dazed voice, struggling to breathe. “You’ll be alright. I…”

Her eyes are shining so vividly. He sees tenderness there, yearning, and a split second later, fear. He can’t keep his eyes open anymore.

_No, please. Just a little more time. Please._

The Light welcomes him in a long-awaited embrace. 

◆

There’s numbness and cold dread seeping through his veins. It must be a dream, or an afterlife, because he feels no pain. 

A man with sandy brown hair is staring at him with a pensive gaze. Ben has never seen him before and yet he finds himself unable to look away. He feels furious. He wants to look at Rey, who’s hunched over his body and crying, but he can’t. He’s elsewhere. He can’t kiss those tears away.

_Am I dead?_

That’s what he wants to ask, but the words just won’t come out. Still, it doesn’t matter. He knows the answer. He is dead, he has to be, because he can’t feel her warm hands on him. 

The man seems to understand the question written on his face and he smiles. In that exact moment, Ben knows without a shred of doubt that he’s looking at Anakin Skywalker. A new kind of shock ebbs and flows inside him, practically bursting at the seams. All these years, pleading and begging, Darth Vader never came to him for guidance. Not once. Now, though, the ghost of a young and lean Jedi Knight is grinning at him. 

“Rise, Ben, my grandson. The Force is with you.” Skywalker says in a firm tone. His echoing voice carries a cool serenity.

_It’s you. It’s really you._

The man nods and gestures at his surroundings. The Sith shadows are gone and the sky above them is clearing.

“You found the strength inside yourself. That same strength brought her back. And now…” Anakin pauses and looks away for an instant, as if gazing towards someone else, “The Force will give you a new beginning.”

Does that mean he’s not dead? Hope blooms anew in his chest. If he could, Ben would fall to his knees. But as it is, he’s already on the ground. And he can finally look at Rey. Rey, who’s shaking like a leaf and whispering “Stars, you’re here, you’re alive. Stay with me. Ben, stay with me.”

_Thank you._

“The galaxy lives because of you and Rey. You did good, young one. Be proud.”

That’s the last thing he hears and it sounds like a goodbye and a welcome at the same time.

◆

He wakes up in a makeshift bed with the smell of pines and sweat in his nose. There’s pain this time around. He coughs and spits out blood as some quick rustling lets him know he’s not alone.

“Ben!” 

It’s Rey. Rey is grasping his hand. She looks shaken, but safe. They’re safe.

“What happened?” He croaks, falling back against the pillow. 

“We won.” She beams and sits down, determined not to leave his side. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a Star Destroyer was dropped on my head. But also incredibly good.” Ben replies after a beat, attempting a wry smile. Rey huffs, but her expression sobers up immediately. 

“You — you saved me. After Palpatine took almost all of our life force away. How did you do that?” Ben doesn’t miss how she grinds her teeth at the mention of the Emperor. He wishes he’d been there by her side to witness his final defeat.

“I don’t know. All I know is that I had to try.” 

Rey just squeezes his hand tighter. There’s so much more he wants to say, but he’s spellbound by her solid presence next to him, by her glowing aura in the Force. Now that they’re not fighting each other or fighting for their lives, he has time to take it all in. To commit every single detail of her lovely face to memory. 

And so he does that, while she explains how they’re in the outer region, on a Batuu moon, regrouping with the Resistance and the allies who came to their aid.

“How long was I out?”

“No more than a couple hours. Oh!” She pipes up, looking over his shoulder. “There’s someone who wants to say hello.”

Ben knows who that is before hearing his voice.

“I heard there’s a new scoundrel in our ranks.” Lando Calrissian declares tapping his cane on the ground. Old age hasn’t chipped away at the playful twinkle in his gaze. Ben bites down on his lip so that he won’t cry, not just yet, and he slowly gets up.

“Lando.”

“Come here, give your dashing uncle a hug.” 

“Lando, I’m—” Ben hesitates. He has no idea what comes next. But a wrinkled hand grabs his wrist with a surprising firmness.

“Hush now, it’s alright. There’ll be time to talk about that. Welcome back.”

Rey watches the two men hugging and feels her heart swell. 

Ben Solo is back. She falls in love with his dimples and his soft, guarded expression. By the end of the day she starts wondering what he’d do if she were to walk up to him and kiss him again. She really wants to do that.

◆

It’s not until the day after, when he’s showering and taking a look at his wounds, that he notices it. The ugly scar that ran across his face is _gone_. He touches his face in disbelief, traces the outline he knows by heart and checks again for good measure.

His skin is clean and unmarred. 

Ben sucks in a deep breath at the implications of it. His battle wounds are still there, partly healed thanks to the bacta patches. But then that must mean…

_Rey._

He has to sit down and cradle his chest. The tears come at last and as he’s sobbing he thinks about all the hurt that he’s caused and endured, all the times he’s fallen asleep wishing he’d never wake up again. 

There’s so much that can’t ever be undone. That pain is second nature to him and he can feel it constricting his lungs when he closes his eyes.

And then there’s Rey. What he feels for her carries that same intensity, although the emotions couldn’t be more different now. She’s hope and purpose, she’s courage and patience, she’s — _love_.

That same sense of clarity is flooding his mind once again. 

He tells himself to wait and be rational about this, but his resolve lasts for a grand total of ten minutes. Then he’s already rushing out of the ‘fresher, tattered clothes and droplets of cold water running down his cheeks.

The tall trees cast impressive shadows in the afternoon light, but he doesn’t remember setting foot on a more vibrant planet, not since Takodana. The air is alive with a thousand sounds of celebration, quiet and loud alike. 

It’s not difficult at all to find Rey. Her presence in the Force is like a tether, so much stronger now that they’ve spent hours in close proximity. Ben senses her eagerness too when he finally spots her. It’s a warm tingle and a promise of more, more, _more_.

Rey is talking with Finn and a petite woman with her hair done in a tight bun. Ben halts in his step for a moment, because it’s starting to dawn on him that they’re surrounded by other people. People who probably know who he is by now. 

“Hello.” He blurts out, figuring it’s too late to back away. Two pairs of curious eyes blink back at him and Finn, after what feels like an eternity, nods back.

That’s a start. And it’s more than enough, because Rey seems to know he wants to talk to her and she leads them away from the crowd. The way she keeps turning her head to glance back at him is the most endearing sight he’s ever laid eyes on.

“My scar. You healed it.” Ben simply says when they stop walking. He’s delighted to spot some bashful redness on her cheekbones.

“Yes. I’m not sure how. But when I saw you lying there and I realized what I’d just done... I felt like a monster.” She sighs and looks away. 

Ben thinks of their first conversations through the bond and he does what he couldn’t do back then. The only thing that feels natural. He wraps her in a gentle hug and splays his hand across her back. 

“Rey.” He murmurs, kissing the top of her head with a newfound devotion, “I love you.”

She doesn’t say anything, but her next breath is a relieved one. Her heartbeat against his chest is the only sound he can hear now.

Until Rey giggles with dazed enthusiasm, tips her head back and kisses him. Again and again. 

At some point, Ben sweeps her off her feet and they dance on the spot, grinning like idiots, while their lips are still chasing another sweet kiss.

And there’s balance. There’s peace. The ghosts of the past watch over this celebration and smile.

◆

“I can’t believe this bucket of bolts can still fly. You have a real gift.”

“Oh, I’ve had some help.” Rey replies in an airy tone, leading the way to the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit. R2 beeps solemnly and wheels closer to Ben, as if to push him forward.

Truth be told, he’s resisting the temptation to hide his face in Rey’s hair and breathe in her soothing smell. But he needs to look at what’s around him and so he does.

The pain comes rippling in tidal waves. He welcomes it, because he knows the memories will have a different, richer meaning from now on.

“Ready to take her for a spin?” She asks as she holds his hand and gestures at the pilot chair. 

“I’ve been playing co-pilot since before you were born. I think I’m ready.” Ben laughs at Rey’s raised eyebrow, sits down and gently coaxes her down on his lap. She makes a show of rolling her eyes but she doesn’t move away, only adjusting herself so he can easily reach the control panel.

“Let’s see who knows more tricks then.”

“Of course, I could do with some competition. Where to?”

She’s silent for a few seconds, staring at the transparisteel viewports. Ben snakes one arm around her waist and pulls her closer.

“Somewhere with lots of green. And water.” She declares eventually.

“I know just the place.”

As the galaxy stretches around them, they smile and think about what awaits them next. There are no more Force visions, only elated dreams.

Ben Solo and Rey of Jakku look at the stars and know they’re home.


End file.
